Witch trial 1692

William Griggs , the village doctor, was called in when they failed to improve. His diagnosis of bewitchment put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the hanging deaths of 19 men and women. In addition one man was pressed to death ; several others died in prison, and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. To understand the events of the Salem Witch Trials , it is necessary to examine the times in which accusations of witchcraft occurred.

There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village families and rivalry with nearby Salem Town combined with a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion.

All would await trial for a crime punishable by death in 17th-century New England — the practice of witchcraft. In June of , the special Court of Oyer to hear and Terminer to decide sat in Salem to hear the cases of witchcraft.

Presided over by Chief Justice William Stoughton, the court was made up of magistrates and jurors. The first to be tried was Bridget Bishop of Salem who was found guilty and was hanged on June Thirteen women and five men from all stations of life followed her to the gallows on three successive hanging days before the court was disbanded by Governor William Phipps in October of that year. The victims were hanged by the neck by a rope tied to a tree.

Contrary to popular belief, none of the victims were burned at the stake. The reason is because English law only allowed death by burning to be used against men who committed high treason and only after they had been hanged until almost dead, quartered and drawn. The English considered it an unacceptable death for women since it involved nudity. Burning at the stake was more popular in countries with a strong Catholic church because it did not involve the shedding of blood, which was not allowed in the Roman Catholic doctrine, and it ensured that the victim would not have a body to take with them to the after life.

Upham for the Peabody Historical Society in As convicted witches, they were not allowed a Christian burial in consecrated ground. Relatives of several victims: Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor and George Jacobs, reportedly retrieved the bodies of their loved one and gave them a Christian burial on the family property.

It is not known what happened to the unclaimed bodies, or if there were any unclaimed bodies, but if there are they are most likely still buried in shallow graves at the execution site. Almost immediately after the Salem Witch Trials came to an end, the residents of Salem began to feel ashamed of what happened during the witch hunt. They still believed in witches and the Devil, but they had doubts that so many people could have been guilty of the crime and they feared that many innocent people had been put to death.

The colony also been to suffer from frequent droughts, crop failures, smallpox outbreaks, Native-American attacks and other disasters and the colonists worried that the mistakes made during the Salem Witch Trials had angered God. On December 17, , Governor Stoughton issued a proclamation in hopes of making amends with God. The proclamation suggested that there should be:.

The colony held the day of prayer on January 15, , which was known as the Day of Official Humiliation. On October 17, , at the urging of the surviving convicted witches and their families, the colony passed a bill clearing some of the names of the convicted witches. Not every victim was named in the bill though because some families of the victims did not want their family member listed.

The bill states:. An act to remove the attainders of George Burroughs and others for Witchcraft. For as much in the year of Our Lord, one thousand six hundred and ninety-two several towns within the Province were infested with a horrible witchcraft or possessions of devils. The influence and energy of the evil spirit so great at that time acting in and upon those who were the principal accusers and witnesses proceeding so far as to cause a prosecution to be had of persons of known and good reputation which caused a great dissatisfaction and a stop to be put thereunto until their majesties pleasure should be known therein; and upon a representation thereof accordingly made, her late Majesty, Queen Mary, the Second of Blessed Memory, by her Royal letter given at her court at Whitehall the fifteenth of April, , was graciously pleased to approve the care and circumspection therein; and to will and require that in all proceedings against persons accused for witchcraft, or being possessed by the Devil, the greatest moderation and all due circumspection be used so far as the same may be without impediment to the ordinary course of justice.

And some of the principal accusers and witnesses in those dark and severe prosecutions have since discovered themselves to be persons of profligate and vicious conversations. Upon the humble petition and suit of several of said persons and of the children of others of them whose parents were executed.

Be it declared and enacted by His Excellency, the Governor, Council and Representatives authority of the same, That the several convictions, in General Court assembled, and by the judgments and attainders against the said George Burroughs, John Proctor, George Jacobs, John Willard, Giles Corey, Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Elizabeth Howe, Mary Easty, Sarah Wildes, Abigail Hobbs,Samuel Wardwell, Mary Parker, Martha Carrier, Abigail Faulkner, Anne Foster, Rebecca Eames, Mary Post, Mary Lacey, Mary Bradbury, Dorcas Hoar, and any of them be and are hereby reversed made and declared to be null and void to all intents, constitutionalism and purposes whatsoever as if no such convictions, judgments and attainders had ever been had or given, and that no penalties or forfeitures of goods or chattels be by the said judgments and attainders or either of them had or incurred.

Any law, usage or custom to the contrary notwithstanding. And that no sheriff, constable, goaler or other officer shall be liable to any prosecution in the law for anything they then legally did in the execution of their respective offices. Officials distributed the money in Salem in January and February of On October 31, , the state amended the apology, clearing the names of the remaining victims:. According to the Salem Award Foundation website, there are roughly 25 million people around the world who are descended from the Salem Witch Trials victims and the other participants in the trials.

Sources: Norton, Mary Beth. Vintage Books, Hill, Francis. The Salem Witch Trials Reader. DaCapo Press, Hearn, Daniel Allen.

Roach, Marilynne K. Taylor Trade Publishing, Tantor Media Inc, Upham, Charles W. II, Wiggin and Lunt, Nevins, Winfield S. Witchcraft in Salem Village in Salem Press Company, Edited by Benjamin F. Arrington, vol. Edited by Wilbur R. Sage, Upham, William P. House of John Proctor: Witchcraft Martyr, Press of C. Shepard, Salem, Essex Institute, Very, very fascinating.

I am a direct descendant of Mary Towne Esty and always find the more I read about the trials and people involved, the more I learn. Thank you for an excellent article. Thanks, Stephen! I am a direct descendant of Susannah Martin, descending thru her daughter, Jane who married Samuel Hadley.

I have often questioned, as surely many others have, what could cause educated persons such as judges and ministers to buy into such rot. Susannah North, an ancestor on my fathers side of the family. Mary Foster Lacey Sr.

I got conflicting information until someone helping me told me that is her full name to get her true hints on ancestry. I will give details birth and date later. Her father is Richard North born died same as her mother born and died as her father.. Her grandparents -John North born died and Anna Hadell born died I will give much details soon as possible the dates of birth and death and the city where they were born and where they are buried. I have been told that I am related to the oldest woman in the witch trials.

I do genealogy and would love to research her. Do you know her name? Also, did they mean the oldest victim in the witch trials or just the oldest person accused? Hundreds of people were accused and arrested so that would be tough to figure out. My ancestor, Mehitabel Braybrooke Downing was one of the accused. Her name in the letter is Mehitabel Downing. I wrote a historical novel about her and just received a contract from a publisher. The book will be out in early The story that they went to New York is unverified as yet, but from researching Essex County deeds and tax lists, I can verify that they returned to Salem Village and lived there until Some of their children remained in Essex County, while some moved with them to Bristol County and elsewhere.

You have Ms. Sarah Wildes is a fore mother of mine and it disheartens me into rage that she is one of the witches that were killed. May the gods bless her soul for Eternal peace and harmony.

Hi Nora. My 10 great grandmother was Sarah Wilde. I would love any information or stories you have about this side of the family. Thank you!! Juleless yahoo. Judy Skidmore Cottrell, I just today read your comment on this post. I do apologize for not keeping up with the comments here.

I began a blog about my family tree called bridges2yesteryear. I had found some very helpful sources: some on-line documents, some printed sources books and magazine articles , and microfilms of original records. I used on-line documents from the Salem Witch Trials, tax records, deeds, and a scholarly article by Dr.

David L. Enjoyable reading! My ancestral grandmother, Mary Prince of Gloucester along with her daughter and granddaughter were accused and arrested for witchcraft, then jailed in Ipswich. There were many women from Gloucester, MA arrested. None of my ancestors went to trial; but jail must have been cruel. Looking forward to more of your stories. Hi, Francis Hutchins is my 10th great Aunt.

She was accused but not tried and her name is listed. I would love any other info anyone might have about her. Hi every1, Ive recently found out im a descendent of Hannah Bromage of Haverhill! My name is Scott Bromage. Ive only found she was arrested or accused! Sarah died proclaiming her innocence as others had done as her husband and son watched helplessly.

Her husband was a magistrate and her son a constable, both law abiding citizens and both sworn to uphold the laws, even those which were unjust. Imagine how you might feel if you had to witness the execution of one of your loved ones …. Presided over by judges including Hathorne, Samuel Sewall and William Stoughton, the court handed down its first conviction, against Bridget Bishop, on June 2; she was hanged eight days later on what would become known as Gallows Hill in Salem Town.

Five more people were hanged that July; five in August and eight more in September. Though the respected minister Cotton Mather had warned of the dubious value of spectral evidence or testimony about dreams and visions , his concerns went largely unheeded during the Salem witch trials. Amid waning public support for the trials, Governor Phips dissolved the Court of Oyer and Terminer in October and mandated that its successor disregard spectral evidence.

Trials continued with dwindling intensity until early , and by that May Phips had pardoned and released all those in prison on witchcraft charges. In January , the Massachusetts General Court declared a day of fasting for the tragedy of the Salem witch trials; the court later deemed the trials unlawful, and the leading justice Samuel Sewall publicly apologized for his role in the process.

The damage to the community lingered, however, even after Massachusetts Colony passed legislation restoring the good names of the condemned and providing financial restitution to their heirs in But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. At the center of the Salem witch trials were a core group of accusers, all girls and young women ranging in age from nine to 20, who screamed, writhed, barked and displayed other horrifying symptoms they claimed were signs of Satanic possession.

Often referred to as the In early , during the depths of winter in Massachusetts Bay Colony, a group of young girls in the village of Salem began acting strangely. The daughter and niece of the local minister, Samuel Parris, claimed to be afflicted by invisible forces who bit and pinched them, In late March , John and Bethia Kelly grieved over the body of their 8-year-old daughter inside their Hartford, Connecticut, home.

Little Elizabeth had been fine just days before when she returned home with a neighbor, Goodwife Ayres. The distraught parents, grasping at any Witches were perceived as evil beings by early Christians in Europe, inspiring the iconic Halloween figure.